Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan hailed what appeared to be a decisive victory for his party in local elections Sunday, providing a boost that could help him emerge from a spate of recent troubles.

Erdogan was not on the ballot in the countrywide polls, but he campaigned as if he were. With almost 70 percent of the votes counted, Erdogan's party was above 46 percent of the votes while the main opposition CHP was at just over 30 percent, according to state-run TRT television.

"I thank my Lord for granting such a victory, such a meaningful result," Erdogan said at a victory rally in Ankara.

Incumbent candidates from Erdogan's Justice and Development Party, better known by its Turkish initials AKP, also were leading in high-profile races in Istanbul and Ankara.

Erdogan and his party have dominated Turkish politics in the past decade during great prosperity. But his standing has been damaged by the corruption scandal, with a series of leaked tapes bringing down four ministers with revelations of bribe-taking and cover-ups. One tape allegedly involves Erdogan and family members, but he and his allies have rejected the allegations as a plot orchestrated by followers of U.S.-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gülen, a former Erdogan ally who has split with him.

After the results, Erdogan promised retribution against Gülen's movement.

"We shall enter into their caves," he said. "They will pay and account for their deeds."